The many faces of photography

'Sunset writ small' by
bgblogging under a CC license.

This is not supposed to be a regular post. It's rather an addendum to my previous one, 'Photons & imagination'. You see, while I was going through that a second time (a hard-to-explain masochistic thing that I find myself sometimes doing), I felt the urge to add several other things on photography. No, the lot of additions I had in mind would hardly make the topic complete but, also, that was never my original intention.

Photography is one of the things that has many different functions in our lives. For some, it is art. For others, science. Also, it forms a kind of expression, in a way an equivalent to speech, in the sense that it can convey messages to specific (or not-so-specific) audiences. Some consider it a visual tool merely accompanying written or oral speech. At the same time, photography is a means for art, science and communication. And, on top of that, there are the ones that embrace photography as passion.

A few days ago, I made a reference to light field photography, which seems to be slowly emerging as niche in photographic consumer-oriented products. I described it as exciting and challenging but also divergent from the traditional spirit of photography that most hobbyists and professionals carry. I now consider that I may have been a bit too harsh on that.

It's no secret that the photography world features considerable diversity: a variety of technologies are being used for a variety of applications by a variety of people. Photography seems to me as a mainstream skill/ hobby that hosts an overwhelming number of hard-to-ignore niches. Just a couple of examples I recently came across:

a. Revisiting the old times of photography, a case of which is the resurrection of instant film cameras (Polaroids). The Polaroid (corporation) having itself shifted a bit to the modern era and seeing the entire film-based world slowly making the leap towards digital media there were voices that asked otherwise. The SavePolaroid movement (archived site: here) lobbied for the preserving the option to use Instant. "It grows up with you and becomes a part of you", as a visitor of SavePolaroid.com said. I can see what she meant, although - myself - I was never an instant film user. That is passion! Now, the Impossible project offers the chance for people to meet or continue to use instant film Polaroids.

'Lomo' by pixelfreund.ch
under a CC license

Lomography is another retro photography passion that is very much alive and still burns. Understandably perhaps, since it applies no specific rules for photography (apart for the 'there are no rules' rule) making it really dynamic, potent means of expression. Beyond that - I'm sure - there are many oldish photography branches that still enjoy support.

b. "Small world" photography. To be fair, that's by no means mainstream. Capturing images from the "small world" often requires specialised equipment and some skills in sample preparation. Especially when it comes to techniques like TEM (transmission electron microscopy), AFM (atomic force microscopy), BAM (Brewster angle microscopy) or - even - confocal microscopy, one needs specilised equipment that is (very) unlikely to be found outside the lab walls, in the hands of hobbyists. An encouraging exception to the rule has been a recent boom in the marketing of USB microscopes (such as VEHO or Reflecta), although I tend to believe that the trend doesn't persist much anymore.

Photos from the small-scale world, however, always attract attention. Be it insects, snow flakes, bacteria, crystals, phases of matter or molecules, the images of the world at such size-scale have always been associated with a certain kind of "cool factor". There several interesting sources out there. Apart from what one can find in Flickr or Picasa, Nikon "Small World" is certainly worth a visit. It is a corporate-supported website (Nikon Instruments) hosting several galleries with photos from the "small world", which were selected by open competitions. In most cases, the photos there are accompanied by (brief) information on the sample and the technique used to get the picture. As an example, a favourite of mine:

Charles Krebs, Wing scales of Urania riphaeus (Sunset moth) (100X),
available in the "2008 Winners" gallery of Nikon "Small World"

I guess that the bottom line is that the photography scenery is - fortunately - beautifully complex. It's certainly unlikely to feel bored there!

Retro innovative technology (think Polaroid[tm])

When I was thinking to start this blog, a few weeks ago, I had in mind to avoid referring to real life products, companies or people. I thought - and still believe so - that, unless you refer to things really close to you or directly under your control, it is not too difficult to get the facts wrong. Since then, however, I have realised that it is such things that act as "inspiration" to talk about innovation. Thus, starting today, I'll be less strict, allowing myself to share, now and then, a few personal thoughts on "innovative" (or "anti-innovative") products/ companies/ practices/ people that have managed to attract my attention somehow.

(Note 1: This is neither a product review nor a sponsored entry; I am not affiliated to the manufacturing company or any other party involved in the marketing of the products below.)

(Note 2: every company name, product brand or product name mentioned below, is property of their respective owner)

On the point now: I recently got into my hands on of those photo-printers for home use. Yes, there are plenty of those. However, I'm referring to the Polaroid PoGo CZU. That is a very special product, which I'm not quite sure if it should be marketed exactly as a photo-printer. Yes, it prints photos from cameras and mobile phones (or other devices that can support PictBridge) through a USB or Bluetooth connection. BUT: You can't connected to a PC, the printouts are fairly small (2''x3'' or approximately 5.1x7.6cm), a bit bigger than most business cards and you can only use the ZINK paper packs from Polaroid.

Having said that, the PoGo printer if FUN to use. It is the only mobile photo printer I am aware of, with dimensions similar to a small external hard drive (weight: 220g), able to fit in your jacket's pocket, having a rechargeable battery that can print about 15 photos per charge. Not to mention that the only consumable it needs it's the paper (the paper compartment can fit 10 sheets) - no ink cartridges needed, as the dye crystals are embedded on the paper.Ah, and it looks sleek (I used the black version - there is also a pink available, which would not exactly fit my taste is colours)! Cost-wise, the printer sells at about EUR 50-55 and the cost per printed photo is about 29p. For a bit more than double the price you can find the faster and much more versatile - but bulkier, non mobile, non cordless - Canon Selphy 780 (cost per 10x15cm printout is approx. 31p), although you may be able to find other similar products at lower prices (especially if you look for discontinued models).

Well, you may say, it is a Polaroid after all, which had a major breakthrough a few decades ago with the instant photo cameras. In the modern era, where the average digital camera owner may shoot over a few hundreds of photos per year, most of which never make it onto paper, a product like the PoGo printer can bring fun to places where it 's difficult or inconvenient to share digital content. The photo paper used features also a shelf-adhesive side, so printouts can be used as stickers. Think of parties, think of decorating notepad covers or backpacks or boxes, etc. Think of holiday time, where printing a couple of shots on the spot could be a good laugh (yes, you can share the 10Mpixel quality original when you return but that's a different thing).

What I find "refreshingly innovative" in that product is that it managed to merge some modern technology with nostalgia.

Do I need to close this entry with advice? Well, the bottom line is sort of obvious: If you need a photo printer for quality printouts at a variety of sizes or on different paper qualities, having fast printing speeds and or if you normally have the digital photos stored in a computer, please look elsewhere: Most inject printers can achieve good photo quality print outs, most multi-machines support PictBridge, and an increasing number of photo-specific printers is hitting the market. If you think that getting small, easy to share, stick-able printouts on the spot from your digital camera or your mobile can be fun, even when you are on the move and away from normal digital conveniences, then go ahead and have a look...

(photos: "Polaroid One-Step", CC by SqueakyMarmot; "Polaroid PoGo being used at its finest", CC by Inhisgrace, respectively)